Scentless
by EdwardPlusPandasEqualMe
Summary: One newborn vampire in Victoria's army saw that all was not as it seemed. He saw through Riley's lies, saw that there was something more.  Now can Kyle Rosniac use that knowledge to save his own life? My first fanfic so please R&R!
1. Blending in

At night, I tried to blend in more.

I was good at it – blending in. It was difficult for people to sense my presence, and I liked it that way. Most people found my analytical nature cold, and turned away from that.

That night, on my way home from working a night shift at Burger King, I stuck to the shadows and hurried along my way, taking off the gold name tag that read, "Kyle R." My footsteps barely made a sound when my shoe connected with the concrete, and my black uniform was useful for merging with the dark. I thought that no one would be able to see me in the dark. I was wrong.

I suddenly felt an icy hand cover my mouth, extinguishing the scream that had erupted in my throat. I tried to thrash and kick, but was rendered immobile by another hand that had roughly picked up my legs. For a few moments I used all my strength in an attempt to loosen the cold hands' hold on my body, but I soon realized that it was no use.

I started to lose control control of my mind as I realized what was happening to me and what could happen to me in the near future. I distracted myself by grasping that my kidnapper was moving very fast based on the way my black pants were slapping my legs. I listened for a motor, but heard nothing, not even footsteps.

I continued to strain my ears listening for another couple of minutes when I was abruptly set down, though I could still feel a freezing hand preventing my escape. I didn't realize I had been blindfolded until I attempted to open my eyes. How could my kidnapper have tied it without me noticing? My brief thoughts on that subject were cut off my more cold pressing own on my arm. I felt something puncture my skin.

The cold was suddenly replaced by fire, a white-hot fire that was ignited at the puncture and gradually spread thoughout my body. No one smothered my screams this time.

**A/N: Please, please, please review! I need advice, since my English teacher mainly uses stamps ("Very Creative!") for criticism. Also, please don't be too scathing; I don't want to be emotionally scarred and this is my first try. :)  
**


	2. From Fire to Ice

As the fire consumed my entire body, I wondered when I would die. It had to be soon, didn't it? Why else would I be on fire?

Throughout my burning, I heard a voice. In the beginning I couldn't hear it very well because of my screams. But then the fire started to die down. I wondered if this meant that I was finally dying, leaving my body behind. I could hear the voice better now, and I made an effort to listen, thinking that these would be the last words I ever heard.

"...and you're going to have all of your senses enhanced, like sight and hearing." It was a boy speaking, mabye my age. "You'll be really stong, too, which is good for hunting..." Hunting? I wondered what this boy thought I would be hunting. No one in my family ever went hunting.

"It'll be really strong in the beginning, but don't worry. I have some meals lined up for you." I guessed that I wasn't dying if he thought I would be eating. "It takes some getting used to, being a vampire, but I can help." There went my theory about not dying. This boy was obviously insane, and thought that killing me would turn me into a vampire. I would have laughed, but the thought of dying took away my sense of humor at the moment. I realized that the fire was pretty much gone. Maybe I was dead. I was laying facedown on the ground, and tried to get up. I was successful, but nearly fell back down when I saw the boy who had been talking to me.

He was inhumanly beautiful. His skin was white and his eyes were red. I began to question my swift denial of of his claim that I was a vampire. "Who - " I started to ask, but had to stop. This was not my voice. This voice was like honey. Why had my voice changed?

Then I realized that the boy's voice was also velvety. Oh my god. Oh my god. "What did you _do _to me?" I shouted at him.

"I, uh, actually, uh, turned you into a vampire," he said, surprised at my sudden yell. "I know it may be a little hard to believe, but it's true. My name's Riley, by the way."

I was about to interrogate him further, but stopped. "What's that smell?" I asked him, for I had suddenly smelled something. It would have made my mouth water, but apparently I had no saliva.

"Oh, that's a human. They're our main food source," he explained. The next thing I knew, I was flying toward the scent propelled by an unstoppable instinct. When I saw the human, alone in the woods, I felt as if I had no choice. Before she could even see, me I collided with her, and let instinct do the rest. I could not be appalled at what I had done. It was only natural, right? Riley had apparently followed me and stepped out into the bushes. That reminded me of all my questions. I started with the first one that popped into my head.

"Why?" I asked. Seeing the confused look on his face, I clarified. "Why did you turn me into a vampire?"

"Oh," he said looking nervous. "Well, you're the first one-" he paused. "The first one I changed." I felt there was something that he was hiding in that sentence, but allowed him to continue. "I have plans. I'm going to create an army."

I was his first soldier.

**A/N: Please review! I would like to know anything you think about it!**


	3. Q&A

So this was an army. An interesting development, considering that I only saw two people. I mean vampires. My head started to ache with all of the new questions that Riley's comment had produced. I decided to start going down the list. If he had turned me into a vampire, then I deserved some answers.

"So was I randomly drafted? Or have you been watching me?" Riley seemed somewhat flustered by my question.

"It was random, I'm pretty sure," he said then stopped. By the look on his face, I inferred that he had probably said too much. I stored that bit of knowledge away for future analysis.

"This can't be a two-man army. Where is everyone else?"

"Well, you're the first one, actually. But I have plans to make more." Interesting. That could be why he seemed so nervous.

"Who will this army fight?" I asked. You couldn't build up an army without an enemy.

"Other vampires. They are plotting to destroy all of us."

"But wait," I interrupted. "There are only two vampires in this army, right? So why would they plan on destroying us? And how do you know that they are?"

Riley paused for a moment. "They destroyed some of my friends," he said. "I was the only one who got away." It was a perfectly plausible excuse, but something in the way his crimson eyes widened before he answered made me wonder if he was telling me the truth.

"Who are they?"

Riley seemed relieved at this question. "They are a strange kind of vampire with yellow eyes. They own the city, and all of the blood in it. As I remembered how the human had tasted, I saw why it would be convenient to have a whole city at their disposal. "They consider me, and anyone else with me, a threat."

"What is my incentive to stay here, then?" I asked. The idea of seven powerful vampires after me wasn't a pretty thought.

"What else do you think you would do?" Riley asked, almost smiling. "I can supply you with food, and all you have to do is agree to fight when the time comes. And by then, I plan to outnumber them so much that they won't have a chance."

"I see," I said, weighing my options. I didn't really have any. I didn't know how to be a vampire. "I'll stay." Riley smiled, looking relieved. But then something occured to me, something that I hadn't thought of before because of my thirst and questions.

"What about my family?" I said in a whisper.

"You would kill them if you got the chance," he said dismissively. "You are dead now, to everyone except me."


	4. A Monster

I felt something in my stomach drop. "You mean I'll never see them again?"

"Of course not! Like I said before, if you went anywhere near them at this stage in your life, you would kill them. They will think you have gone missing. Then, after a year or two, they will accept your death. That's the way it has to, and will, go."

I felt resentment towards Riley flare up inside me. "Why didn't I get a choice in this? You had no right to take away my life!"

"Look at it this way. I didn't take away your life. I gave you a new one. Now you can start over, make new friends." He looked at me, and to me it seemed like his little speech was rehearsd. Well rehearsed, but rehearsed all the same. "That is, when I create some for you to meet," Riley added.

"Listen," I told him, my voice still sharp. "I have a lot to think about. Can I be alone for a bit?"

"Sure," he agreed, then smiled, his teeth glaringly bright. "I'll get us some snacks." As he dashed away, almost invisibly fast, I sat down on a nearby log, ready to mull over the facts I had been presented with. I absently noticed that my usually pale skin was now white. I wondered if my eyes were red and my features were perfect like his. I pushed the thought to the back of my mind. Right now, my appearence should be the least of my worries.

I was a vampire. That was the only explanation for what had just happened to me. It also explained why I couldn't resist the scent of that human's blood. Now I had to decide what to do about it.

As before, I saw only one option: stay with Riley. Who knew what else he had omitted from our little talk. The truth was, I didn't know how to be vampire. Considering that the sun was masked with clouds, I assumed that we didn't sleep in coffins. What else had Hollywood invented? So I was going to have to stay with Riley. That didn't mean the I would like or trust him. I sensed that there was something he was hiding from me. I needed to think that one over.

He had seemed very nervous when I asked him about why he changed me. That either meant that he had something to hide or didn't quite know. Why wouldn't he know? I asked myself. If he was lying and it wasn't the one commanding this army. If he was following orders, it would explain why he seemed so nervous - he was afriad of failing his boss. It was an interesting theory, but it had no basis on fact. I would need concrete evidence before I labeled anything as fact. He could just have been nervous that the first vampire he created wouldn't turn out the way he planned.

Just then Riley emerged from the forest. I realized the we were in a clearing in the woods. I had been to busy asking and thinking to notice before. I wondered where I was briefly, but then the luscious scent of another human filled my nostrils. Apparently Riley had herded them into this clearing. Once again, I acted from instinct. This time, Riley joined me. He started to explain the basics of being a vampire to me when we were finished.

I learned that we all were incredible strong and fast. All of our senses were enhanced. "Is that why the humans smell so good?" I asked.

Riley shook his head. "No that's just part of being a vampire. Other vampires leave different scents, too." He leaned over. "Like yours - " he started, then abrubtly cut off.

"What?" I asked, wondering why he hadn't finished his sentence.

"Well, it's weird, like you don't have a scent. That's never happened to me before," he said, his forehead creased. Then understanding lit his eyes. "Wait! I think I know. That's your power!"

"Power?" I said skeptically. "Like superpower?"

"Kind of," he replied seriously. "Sometimes, when someone has something that's really strong when they're a human, like strength, or intelligence, it rubs off when you're a vampire." I nodded. As far-fetched as it sounded, it made sense. People were rarely aware that I was present, so now they wouldn't know where I was or had been.

"Do any of the enemy have any special abilities?" I asked, knowing it would be important for future reference.

"Well, yes, actually. That's why I'm not going to let you know where we are. Sometimes, not even our thoughts are safe," he explained.

"Do _you_ have any powers?" I asked, honestly curious.

"No," he said, looking down. "But I might, and they haven't surfaced yet. That's what sh-," he paused. "That's what sometimes happens." A new thought occured to me.

"Where are we going to sleep?" I asked. I didn't see any sleeping bags or blankets.

"We don't actually," he said. "Sleep. At all." That gave me more time to think, I supposed. "Speaking of which," Riley continued, "I'm not going to be here tonight. I'm going to change someone else, then take the new vampire bakc here."

"Why not change it here?"

"At this point, you don't have enough control. You might have an accident."

"I see," I said, and I did. I saw that I was a monster now, and I had to accept it.


	5. New Recruits

It hit me hard at that moment - that I was a monster. When I was five I had nightmares about various witches and evil people intent on destroying me. Now I was the stuff of nightmares, and I didn't see any way around it. I killed people. What else could I do? There was no way around it. Once I grew less dependant on Riley, I was going to try to make my own way.

I briefly wondered how I was going to spend my first night without sleeping. I wished I had a good book that I could get absorbed in, one that would make me forget about the fact that I was now a vampire. I decided on testing my new abilities. I wanted to see how fast I could run around the clearing.

As fast as I was running, I saw everthing with a clarity unknown to me in my human life. "Maybe I can get used to this," I said to myself as I sped around the perimeter again.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Riley didn't come back for three days. I eventually grew tired of becoming blurred with speed or uprooting trees. I thought more then, and always came to the same conclusion: Stay with Riley.

When he came back, I met Bree. Riley formally introduced us, using inly first names. I assumed he knew mine through my Burger King name tag. Bree's eyes were pitch black; Riley told me that she hadn't eaten yet. He went into the city to "get us a snack" as I went over the basics with her. I didn't tell her about my suspicions about Riley because I had no proof and wanted her to make my own decisions. She seemed to be enraptured with being a vampire she asked abouther family.

"Riley says we have to stay away from all humans, including your family. He said we might... have an accident if we were exposed to anyone."

"I wouldn't do that," she whispered. "I couldn't. I'd be able to resist. I don't understand why he doesn't give me a chance." The Riley strode into the clearing, a pack of humans behind him. Bree was even faster than me, although I was still faster than Riley. She looked at me with wide eyes afterward. "I understand," was all she said.

Riley explained more basics to us, like how our eyes got darker as we got thirstier, and said he was leaving again tonight. He also explained to Bree and the army he was creating. A new question suddenly sprang to my mind.

"How did you change us?" I asked.

"Well, I had to bite you without killing you."

"Really? Wow," said Bree. "How did you manage to do that?"

"It was very difficult," he said looking uncomfortable. "It gets easier to resist as you get more experienced. But it was still _really_ hard."

"I see," said Bree, apparently not noticing his discomfort with the question.

When Riley left again that night, Bree asked me about my life. I was surprised. People didn't usually talk to me. Then I realized that I was the only other person there.

I told her what school I went to, how old I was, where I worked, and so on.

"Do you have any nicknames?" she asked.

I laughed, the first time since I had been turned into a vampire. "How do you abbreviate Kyle?" She laughed too, amd I asked her about her life. I wasn't very comfortable with her questions, and they weren't even personal. She seemed eager to talk, so I kept her going with anything that popped into my head. We raced a little after that. She was faster, but I was stronger. By the time three days had passed, I felt we were almost friends. I was glad that we weren't quite friends yet. We were going to war, after all, so I didn't want to get attached to anyone.

Then Riley brought back Jason. It gave Bree someone new to talk to, and I only occaisonaly joined in their conversation. I wondered how big we were going to make this army, and how many humans it would take to fuel it. I quickly shoved the thought away. It was only nautal, right? I was a vampire. What else was I going to do?

I was beginning to develop a pattern to this new life. Riley came here with a new vampire, took one day explaining everything, then left. We were supplied with nourishment the entire time, of course.

As the army grew, I noticed that Riley grew more comfortable with his job. He knew what questions the brand new ones would ask. and exactly how to answer them so that they wouldn't be upset. I also noticed that every single vampire accepted his words as the truth. The thought that he was lying never crossed their minds. I wondered why this was. Was I overly cynical? Or were they just unobservant? I decided that it was probably some mixture of the two.

The steadily growing army came up with new ways to entertain itself. There were always contests. Who ran the fastest? Who threw rocks the farthest? Whose eyes were the reddest? And, when the sun shone, we were all shocked. Then it was instantly a contest. Whose skin glittered the most?

During all of these, I stayed toward the middle whenever I could. I didn't want to draw attention to myself. That could lead to attachments. And attachments could lead to pain. I was all about avoiding pain.

I wondered why Riley wasn't training us. I never asked, though. I didn't want to seem suspicious. If I did, he might want to eliminate the threat. I was confused as to why no one else thought of it. It was as if I was the only soldier in the clearing concerned with the war. Everyone else seemed concerned only with having a good time.

I always kept track of the number of vampires in the clearing, remembering that there were seven yellow-eyed member of the enemy. When the number reached twenty, Riley stopped leaving. Instead he stayed in the clearing, calling us to order occaisonaly. One day, he called for silence. No one thought of disobeying.

"The time has come." His voice rag through the woods and echoed in my ears. "We are going to war."

**A/N: Thank you so much to the two people reviewed. I would like to know if more than two people are reading my story. If not, oh well, I'll keep writing anyway. But if you read it, please review it! Thanks!**


	6. Press Conference

"We are going to war," said Riley. His words had extinguished all noise. "The time has come for us to eliminate our enemies. You may be wondering how we will train, but the truth is, we need no training. When you think about it logically, it should be impossible for us to lose. We are stronger than them, faster than them, and almost triple their numbers. I am going to any questions you might have now."

I was at a press conference without the press.

"If we can't see their eyes for some reason, how will we tell them apart?" asked Bree.

"They keep a human with them. Her scent will be all around them," said Riley. He then threw a few articles of clothing into the middle of the crowd. We were almost sent into a frenzy by the sheer deliciousness of the scent. "Whoever finds her can have her," he added. There was a noticeable change in the atmosphere after he said that. Some vampires exchanged grins or licked their lips.

"Are there any other questions?" asked Riley, jolting us back to the present.

"Are they coming to us, or are we going somewhere, or what?" asked a girl whose name I believe was Sarah

"We will be moving as a group through the woods. I can't give any more information than that because we are going to try to surprise them. As soon as a more specific plan is formed, I'll let everyone know."

"How long will it take to get there?" someone asked.

"Around four days to a week, depending on how fast we move and how many times we stop."

"Will we use any weapons?" I blurted out unthinkingly. Riley stared at me for an instant, then started to laugh. Following his cue, others joined in until the entire army was laughing at me. Through my embarrassment, I made a mental note of how much everyone followed his lead.

"I guess I have an answer," I said, forcing a smile, after it had quieted down.

"On a more serious note," said Riley, "you will be using the weapons your transformation has given you. You fight the same way you hunt: using your instincts. When the time arises, you will know what to do. Are there any more questions?" He looked around, then continued. "We will start to move out tomorrow. I will be away tonight, preparing for the move, but first thing in the morning I will be here. Be ready."

That night, the clearing wasn't alive with the usual competitions. Most vampires chose to talk quietly instead. The fact that we were going to war had finally seemed to sink in. However, most didn't worry at all. The overall arrogance about the situation bothered me. People died during wars. Being a vampire didn't change that. Was I the only one who realized that?

Another thought came to me. No one else seemed to doubt Riley. Apparently, I was the only one who noticed how well-rehearsed he was. Then again, maybe I wasn't. I never showed any sign of my suspicions. But I saw how they all looked at him, with undying respect and sometimes adoration. I tried to keep my distance, just in case he happened to notice something different about me. As I mulled this over, I wished I could sleep.

Then maybe I would wake up from this nightmare.

**A/N: Thank you to the people who have reviewed! Please review if you read this. I don't care if you have anything useful to say; it would just be nice to have a message from fanfiction in my inbox. :) **


	7. On the Road

As you might have guessed, I didn't wake up.

The night dragged on and the atmosphere became tense. The discussions quieted and died out until everyone was waiting in silence for Riley's return. When he emerged from the woods, everyone seemed to exhale at once, as if his very presence had reassured them.

"Let's go," was all he said, and then he started to run. I imagine that we must have looked very strange, a group of blurs flying through the forest. We didn't talk, just ran. I enjoyed running. It gave me a sense of freedom and power that I had never felt in my human life.

It was becoming difficult for me to remember my family. This scared me. It was as if my family was my last connection with my previous life, as if I would give in to the monster completely if I lost my memories. I started repeating names and visualizing family members as I ran.

_Mom, Dad, Katie, Ryan, Uncle Richard, Aunt Abigail..._

Their faces swirled around in my brain as my steps matched the rhythm of their names. They were my pulse, instead of a heartbeat.

After a day of running, Riley stopped us. "We will be running a day and resting a night. That way you will be as strong as possible during the actual battle." Then he ran into the woods, to some unknown destination.

No one tried to start a competition or a race now. It seemed that there were several discussions that required intervention from bystanders before a fight broke out. I took part in none of this, just watched as we viewed each other no longer as friends and companions, but as soldiers and potential rivals. More glares than grins were exchanged that night.

Although the night passed without any physical fights, I could see that something was going to happen before we even met our enemies. Why couldn't Riley see the conflicts brewing and prevent anyone from getting hurt? Or did he notice, but not care enough to make an effort to prevent a brawl? Either way, my distrust for Riley grew every time I looked at him.

The days and nights grew monotonous. Run all day, watch all night. Sometimes I longed to settle some issues where I saw an easy solution. But I knew that I must stick to the shadows and not make a name for myself. I didn't want anyone to have a reason to notice my presence. If the time came, I wanted to be able to disappear and not be missed.

A part of me wanted to just believe everything Riley said. It would make things so much easier. But another part wanted to survive. And a nagging voice in the back of my head kept saying that if I followed Riley's every order, I might not make it out of here alive.

We were about to set out for another day of running when Riley held up his hind. That single gesture brought silence to the place where we had spent the night.

"We will only have to run a few more hours," he said. "After that, we will split into two groups." A red flag went up in my mind. Splitting up wasn't good. Whichever group Riley wasn't in probably wouldn't make it out alive. "The enemy will be just ahead of us," he continued. "We will walk silently until we meet them. Then, we surround and destroy them. Simple as that."

"Which group will you be in?" someone asked.

"I won't be in either group," Riley explained. "I'm going to circle back and cut them off, in case they try to run." My stomach twisted and I felt like I was going to throw up. Apparently, no vampire (except Riley) was supposed to make it out alive. Why else would Riley go off on his own? But I realized something then. If we weren't supposed to survive, then why were we created? I shook those thoughts from my head. I could figure out his motives later.

Right now, I needed to figure out how to survive.

**A/N: Please, please review! I am getting sad that no one is reviewing. :( **


	8. The Battle

**A/N: I'm really sorry for not updating. I let a friend that I don't see outside of school borrow my copy of Eclipse, and then my teachers went on strike. I thought it would be best to wait until I got it back so that my writing could be more accurate. But it looks like the teachers and school board will never settle, so I decided to try to write this from my memory of Eclipse. Feel free to correct any errors that you see. **

* * *

I needed to think of a plan, and fast. I tried to swallow the panic that threatened to engulf me and think this through rationally. 

What could I do to prevent my death?

_Get away from both groups,_ was the immediate answer.

How? I asked myself, hoping that the answer would be just as quick as before.

No such luck. I started to think. To slip away unnoticed, I would probably have to be toward the back of the group. I slowed my pace slightly and watched several vampires fly by. But how would I manage to get away from the army before we split? That was the real issue. I couldn't be identified with any group, because then I might be missed. As my brain worked feverishly and my panic rose, I heard a low, menacing growl. It was quickly answered by a louder hiss. I quickly identified the source of the conflict.

There were two vampires circling each other with hate in their eyes. I stopped to watch, as did many others. Those who went ahead came back to see why they weren't being followed any more. This included Riley, who stood watching silently, his face a hard mask. _Stop this_, I wanted to scream at him. _Before somebody is killed!_ Riley had previously explained that a vampire could be killed if it was torn into pieces and burned. I fervently hoped that no one was carrying a lighter.

The conflicting vampires - I knew that one's name was Sarah - continued to circle each other. I could see that they were getting bored, as was the crowd. If this continued for a few minutes, it would be possible for no one to get hurt.

Then Sarah made a move. She stepped into the imaginary circle she had created, and her opponent ran toward her in a flash. Sarah was smart, and got behind him when she had less than a second to react. She got her arms around him, and then I knew it was over. I closed my eyes, but I couldn't block out the high-pitched wail that ensued. After it stopped, I opened my eyes. I was appalled to find that Riley was handing Sarah a lighter. Many eyes had widened, and the majority of the army looked around uncertainly. I hoped that they were beginning to doubt Riley.

Riley motioned to us, and we ran in silence for the rest of the way.

I purposely waited to run until everyone else had gone. I wanted to be able to watch the battle, not take part in it. I realized that I could use the fact that I didn't have a scent to my advantage. If I stayed out of sight and didn't make a sound, they (and by they I mean our army and our enemy) would never know I was there.

I put distance between myself and the rest of the group gradually, until they were about 500 feet away. Then I ran apart from them, a few hundred feet to the side. I made sure that I wasn't missed. When Riley stopped the group, I stopped too, lying flat on my stomach to remain unseen. Thanks to my enhanced senses, I could hear every word that Riley was saying with sharp clarity.

"We are about a mile away from a clearing. As soon as you reach it, split into your two groups." We had previously counted off. _One, two, one, two..._ It made me want to smile with the feeling of being in Kindergarden again. I was a two.

"You must go silently. If anyone makes a sound, there will be consequences. Understood?" After he saw the members of the army hesitantly nod their heads, he said, "Good. Let's go."

I moved silently through the woods alongside the army. As soon as I saw light, I started looking for a place to watch without being watched. I eventually found a dense, large shrub. I felt juvenile, getting into a bush and trying to find a place to see. It worked, though. I moved to the back of the shrub and found a place where I could clearly view the clearing. Moments later I saw two groups enter, looking around curiously.

The first thing the saw was the enemy, the yellow-eyed vampires. They seemed to come out of nowhere. I felt my jaw drop open at what came out of the woods next. At first the only detail that registered was that they were enormous and furry. Then I noticed the snouts and the way they moved. They appeared to be wolves. A word came to mind, but I quickly banished it. Vampires were enough mythical creatures for an existence.

That set our numbers to be almost even. This couldn't be good.

I watched Jared get ripped limb from limb by a tall, blonde male.

I watched Karen wail as she was destroyed by a gray wolf.

I watched as the army that couldn't lose lost.

I watched until I couldn't watch any more.

I felt sick. I hated Riley with all my being. Did he know what was going on? If so, then _why didn't he stop it?_

Then I saw Alex. She had survived. A single wolf was sauntering toward her. She had a chance! I felt hope rise in my lifeless heart. They were about to fight when a brown wolf came tearing across the clearing. He pulled the other wolf out of the way. Alex seized her chance and began tearing and pounding at the brown wolf. I wanted to cheer her on. Then the other wolves set on her, and my heart deflated. The only trace left of Riley's army was a pillar of smoke rising across the sky.

I noticed another surviver. Bree had apparently surrendered, and they had spared her. A tall blonde male was watching her to make sure she didn't run.

"We'll let you live if you don't attack us, young one," said the blonde male who wasn't watching Bree. "There is another way of living to the way you have known. We abstain from human blood. You could learn how to as well." That caught my interest. Maybe, if I survived, I could talk to them about that. I hated the feeling of not being in control and not knowing whether I just killed one of my family members.

A vampire with reddish-brown hair entered the clearing with a human girl in his arms. He looked distraught. Venom filled my mouth when her scent wafted over to me. She smelled delectable, and somewhat floral. I wanted to take her life so badly. Fortunately, my instinct for survival was greater than the instinct to feed.

"What's wrong with her? Is she all right?" asked the bronze-haired one.

"She'll be fine, Edward," said the blonde male who wasn't watching Bree. "She's been through a lot today." Edward turned to a short female with black, spiky hair. She reminded me of a pixie that you would see children's books.

"She'll wake up in thirty-seven seconds," she said confidently. How could she know that?

I guess it was 37 seconds later that she woke up, although I wasn't keeping track.

"Bella," Edward said with a sigh of relief.

"Where is he - how is he?" asked Bella.

"He'll be fine. He got some injuries, but he'll be fine."

Bree moved, and the tall blonde immediately tensed.

"You must learn to control yourself, young one," said the other blonde.

"I don't know how you can stand it. I _want_ her," said Bree.

"They'll be here in one minute," announced the pixie. Who were they?

I found out one minute later. These vampires had red eyes and walked with an air of authority. The one in front, the leader I assumed, was painfully beautiful. She also looked remarkably young.

"Hello, Jane," said the blonde leader of the yellow-eyes.

"What happened here?" she asked him.

"They came here and we destroyed them. They were newborns," he explained.

"Who was their leader?" she asked. I tensed. Was it Riley or someone else?

"Her name was Victoria," said Edward.

"Was?" asked Jane. Edward pointed to a column of smoke in the distance.

"Who killed her?"

"I did," said Edward.

"Why was she creating an army?"

"She wanted to get to Bella. Edward killed her mate," explained the yellow-eyed leader.

Jane looked at Bella. "This one seems to create unusually strong reactions in our kind." Her eyes fell on Bree. "What is your name, girl?" Bree shook her head. Jane smiled and angelic smile.

Bree writhed on the ground and screamed. I was shocked. Maybe this was the kind of ability Riley was talking about. I really had bad luck. The one person who I talked to and ever really cared about is the one who gets tortured.

"I said, what is your name?"

"Bree," she gasped.

"How many of you were there?" Jane smiled and Bree screamed.

"You don't have to do that anymore," said Edward. That was kind of him; he was risking being tortured himself by saying that.

"I know," was all Jane said.

"There were 19, maybe 20 of us. Sarah and the one whose name I don't know got in a fight on the way here," gasped Bree.

"Do you know Victoria?"

"No, Riley said our thoughts weren't safe. He said that if we defeated the yellow-eyes then all the blood would be ours. He said that they were going to destroy us."

"Felix," Jane said. Felix nodded.

"We would be happy to take Bree in and teach her the rules. She could stay with us," said the blonde leader.

"Ignorance of the law is no excuse," Jane said. "Felix."

Felix nodded again, and for the last time that day the air was filled with screams.


	9. Confrontation

I waited until the battle site had cleared completely before daring to move. My enhanced senses enabled me to remember every detail of what had just unfolded. I knew what I should be feeling: Repulsed, enraged, vindictive. But I didn't. I couldn't bring myself to hate Edward and Carlisle and the rest of them. I saw how it would seem from their perspective, and what they did thus made sense. I knew what Riley would say if he realized that someone else was going to attack us.

"Kill them all. Show no mercy."

But they _had_ shown mercy. The way they carried themselves - it was more civilized, less predatory than the way I knew that I walked. There had to be more to their story, and I wanted to know what it was. Why did they protect a human, instead of eating it? Why didn't they attack the other red-eyes? I had a feeling that I was missing something. Something big. And I knew that I had to speak to them to find out what it was. I would have to take an enormous risk, but in my gut, I had a feeling they weren't going to hurt me. Not yet, anyway. They had shown Bree mercy, and she had been attacking them. I made up my mind to follow their scents and talk to them.

As juvenile as it was, I was nervous. I wanted them to not kill me, sure, but I was longing for something more than I had gotton from Riley's army. I hadn't made friends because I thought they would get killed. What if I liked these people? How would they treat me? I started to plan what I would say. "Hi, my name is Kyle, and please don't kill me." I would have to improvise.

I followed their scents for several miles, then reached an enormous house. It was beautiful, and I wondered how they had the time to build it without attracting attention. These vampires were full of mystery.

I walked at human speed up to the door. I was about to knock, but the door opened, revealing ink-haired pixie. "Who are you and why are you here?" she asked, not hostilely, but cautiously.

"Well," I said, "I was a part of Riley's army, and I heard Carlisle say something to Bree about showing restraint and I feel like there's something I'm missing..." I trailed off, waiting for her reaction.

"Does that mean that you come in peace?"

"Yes of course, I don't want a fight, really." I shuddered at the thought.

"Good. Let me call my family members down, then you can explain why you're here and what you want." Then she turned around and called, "Carlisle, Esme, Jasper, Emmett, Rosalie, Edward: We have a visitor." In a flash everyone was downstairs. Carlisle stepped forward and extended his hand.

"Welcome to our home. I'm Carlisle, and the is Esme, Jasper, Emmett, Rosalie, and Edward," he said pointing to each vampire in turn. I committed the names to memory, thankful for my quick mind.

"I'm Kyle, and I saw the battle and I have a few questions for you," I said, wondering how they would react to this. Rosalie's eyes flashed. "How could you have seen the battle? Everyone there was either killed or in this room!"

"Well, you see, I don't leave a scent, that's kind of my ability -" I was cut off by Carlisle, who suggested that we entered the dining room to discuss this. I wondered why they had a dining room, but didn't voice my thoughts. It was a minor question in comparison to the others. I sat down at a chair directly across from Carlisle and waited to be spoken to.

"Why don't you start at the very beginning?" Esme kindly suggested. So I told them everything, having nothing to hide. Their expressions ranged from sympathy to anger as I recited my story, and I wasn't sure what to do when I was finished.

"He's not lying," said Edward. This seemed to reassure everyone, only adding to my confusion.

"Edward can hear other people's thoughts," explained Carlisle.

"So that was what Riley meant when he said that our thoughts weren't safe," I mused aloud.

"What was it that you wanted to ask us?" said Emmett, interrupting my thoughts. God, he was enormous. I would have to be extra careful not to offend him.

"They primarily centered around how you can have this," I gestured to the house around us, "who those other red-eyes were, and who the real vampire in charge was."

Carlisle sighed. "That could take a while..."

**I know I don't deserve reviews for not updating in forever, but please? My computer time has been very limited, so please make my day by reviewing!**


End file.
